Facebook radio silent after sudden ban on popular gun maker

Renowned US arms manufacturer Smith & Wesson says it is still in the dark after its Facebook account was suddenly suspended last month.

Although the account has since been reinstated, a company representative told Fox News Digital that “despite multiple attempts to reach Facebook to discuss the matter, to date we have had no direct communication with any of the members of their staff.

The firearms company, headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, said its staff suddenly received a notification from Facebook on Nov. 22 that its official Smith & Wesson account had been “suspended indefinitely.” “.

“No warning regarding a page suspension has been previously communicated by Facebook,” the representative said.

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Handguns are on display at the Smith & Wesson booth at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Show in Las Vegas on January 19, 2016. (AP Photo/John Locher, file)

The representative said Facebook referenced five posts dating back to December 2023 that “suggest they did not follow their community guidelines.”

“The messages in question included consumer promotional campaigns, charity auctions and product launch announcements,” explained the Smith & Wesson representative. “While Facebook's policies are constantly changing, creating a burden for users, we do not believe this content violates Facebook's policies or community guidelines, and similar posts have been made in the past without issue .”

Facebook's commerce policy prohibits the promotion of the purchase, sale and trade of weapons, ammunition and explosives. However, according to the website of Meta, Facebook's parent company, there is an exception for legitimate brick-and-mortar and online retailers, although their content is still restricted to minors.

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Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and founder of Facebook, speaks at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 31, 2020. (George Frey/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

According to the representative, the page was reinstated on November 27 after the gun manufacturer made a public statement about the incident on X.

In the post, which has been viewed 3.1 million times, Smith & Wesson criticized Facebook and thanked Elon Musk and the first and second amendments. The company encouraged its 1.6 million followers and fans on Facebook to “search for platforms” that represent the “shared values” of free speech and the right to bear arms.

Although the page was eventually reinstated, the representative told Fox News Digital that the company still had no contact with Meta and “no justification was given for reinstatement beyond a comment on the networks social media from a Facebook representative stating that the suspension was in progress. error.'”

That same Meta staffer, Andy Stone, also directed Fox News Digital to post X, claiming that Smith & Wesson's suspension was an accident. In the post, Stone said that “the page was suspended in error and we have now restored it. We apologize for what happened.”

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Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk (Getty Images)

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Through it all, the Smith & Wesson rep said the manufacturer is “grateful to Elon Musk for creating a public platform that respects the right of Americans to express their opinions, ALL opinions, not just those that coincide with one agenda or another. – especially when it comes to our constitutional rights guaranteed by the 1st and 2nd Amendments.

The spokesperson said that since their account was suspended, they have become aware that many other social media users have been similarly silenced and downvoted.

“While we were encouraged by the reinstatement of our account, we were also disappointed by the number of other users reacting to our statement on X who commented that they had very similar experiences with the deplatforming of their accounts without warning,” the representative said. “While we obviously do not know the details of these cases, we encourage Meta to continue working toward a more inclusive platform that allows for the freedom of respectful dialogue from all points of view, which is a hallmark of the company American.”

Founded in Norwich, Connecticut in 1852, Smith & Wesson is one of the most recognized firearms brands in America and has generated $535.8 million in sales during the financial year 2024.